CPA ANNUAL REPORT AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2021
CPA Regional Conferences in 2021 COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARIANS CONVENE IN NIGERIA TO DISCUSS COVID-19 CHALLENGES AT 51st CPA AFRICA REGIONAL CONFERENCE From 9 to 13 November 2021, Commonwealth Parliamentarians from across Africa met in Abuja, Nigeria to attend the 51st CPA Africa Regional Conference on the theme of ‘African Parliaments and the Challenge of the COVID-19 Pandemic.’ The main programme included workshops examining COVID-19 challenges through a range of thematic lenses, including gender, youth and sustainable development. At the official opening ceremony, the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Prof Yemi Osinbajo, delivered the keynote address stressing the importance of the institution of Parliament in promoting democracy and fostering economic development. He also called on international leaders to put in place appropriate transitional climate change arrangements for Africa, saying: ‘the international community must meet its pledges to Africa and the developing world in terms of financing and technology, to support mitigation and adaptation to climate change’. In his welcome address, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria and President-designate of the CPA Africa Region, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, appealed for full integration in Africa, taking advantage of the available regional legislative instruments to have a common passport, market and a single customs and monetary union. Hon. Christopher Kalila, MP (Zambia) addressed delegates on behalf of the CPA Africa Region Executive Committee, whilst Hon. Dr Zainab Gimba, MNA (Nigeria), as Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Africa Regional Chairperson, called for greater focus on gender inclusion and women’s participation in political, social, economic and development processes. The Acting CPA International Chairperson, Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP (United Kingdom) attended the Regional Conference in person as part of a CPA Secretariat delegation, alongside the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg and CPA Deputy Secretary-General, Jarvis Matiya. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Acting CPA Chairperson reiterated the CPA’s commitment to continue pushing for a change in the legal status of the CPA, whilst the CPA Secretary-General took the opportunity to welcome back several Nigerian sub-national Legislatures that have recently been re-admitted to the CPA’s membership.
PARLIAMENTARY CLERKS FROM CPA AFRICA REGION’S SOCIETY OF CLERKS-AT-THE-TABLE MEET IN KENYA TO DISCUSS ADAPTIVE PARLIAMENTS AND RESPONDING TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES Parliamentary Clerks from the CPA Africa Region met for the Fifth Society of Clerks-at-the-Table (SoCATT) Africa Region Professional Development Seminar in Nairobi Kenya from 22 to 24 October 2021, hosted by the Parliament of Kenya and CPA Kenya Branch. The three-day seminar was held on the theme of ‘Promoting adaptive programming in Parliamentary settings as a response to emergency and emerging global, regional and national challenges’. Delegates were led by the Chairperson of the SoCATT CPA Africa Region, Mrs Cecilia N. Mbewe, Clerk of the National Assembly of Zambia with Clerks and parliamentary staff attending from a wide range of jurisdictions across the CPA Africa Region including Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Eswatini, Namibia and Kenya. The seminar was officially opened by the Chairperson of the CPA Africa Regional Executive Committee, Rt Hon. Justin B. Muturi, EGH, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, who gave the keynote address on the need for modern Legislatures to promote innovative processes to respond to the emerging global, regional and national challenges. The Society of Clerks-at-the-Table (SoCATT) Africa Region provides a network for the sharing of best parliamentary practice amongst the Commonwealth Legislatures in the region.
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